ED 468 177 TITLE INSTITUTION PUB DATE NOTE AVAILABLE FROM PUB TYPE EDRS PRICE DESCRIPTORS IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT DOCUMENT RESUME HE 035 169 Private Colleges Accreditation Board Annual Report, 1 April 2000-31 March 2001. Private Colleges Accreditation Board, Edmonton (Alberta). 2001-00-00 22p. For full text: http://www.pcab.gov.ab.ca/download/ AR _ 2001.pdf. Reports Descriptive (141) EDRS Price MFO1 /PCO1 Plus Postage. *Accreditation (Institutions); *Accrediting Agencies; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; *Private Colleges *Alberta The Private Colleges Accreditation Board (PCAB) was established in 1984 by an amendment to the Universities Act of Alberta, Canada. The Board is authorized to make recommendations to the Minister of Learning with respect to baccalaureate degrees, other than those in Divinity programs, that may be offered by Alberta private colleges. This annual report, the 16th, describes the activities and operations of the Board for the period from April 1, 2000 to March 31, 2001. In this year, authority to offer three new degrees was accorded to DeVry Institute of Technology. The report sections are: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Membership of the Board"; (3) "Activities of the Board"; (4) "Accreditation Handbook"; (5) "Board Assessment"; (6) "Board Subcommittees"; (7) "PCAB's Web Site"; and (8) "Administration." Five tables in the first addendum provide information about enrollment in PCAB institutions. Addendum B lists PCAB publications. (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.
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ED 468 177
TITLE
INSTITUTION
PUB DATENOTE
AVAILABLE FROM
PUB TYPEEDRS PRICEDESCRIPTORS
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
DOCUMENT RESUME
HE 035 169
Private Colleges Accreditation Board Annual Report, 1 April2000-31 March 2001.
The Private Colleges Accreditation Board (PCAB) wasestablished in 1984 by an amendment to the Universities Act of Alberta,Canada. The Board is authorized to make recommendations to the Minister ofLearning with respect to baccalaureate degrees, other than those in Divinityprograms, that may be offered by Alberta private colleges. This annualreport, the 16th, describes the activities and operations of the Board forthe period from April 1, 2000 to March 31, 2001. In this year, authority tooffer three new degrees was accorded to DeVry Institute of Technology. Thereport sections are: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Membership of the Board"; (3)
"Activities of the Board"; (4) "Accreditation Handbook"; (5) "BoardAssessment"; (6) "Board Subcommittees"; (7) "PCAB's Web Site"; and (8)"Administration." Five tables in the first addendum provide information aboutenrollment in PCAB institutions. Addendum B lists PCAB publications. (SLD)
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.
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Private CollegesAccreditation Board
Annual Report1 April 2000 - 31 March 2001
1
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EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)
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BEST COPY AVAILABLE
PRIVATE COLLEGES ACCREDITATION BOARD
Room 909, 108 Street Building
9942 - 108 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2J5
Phone (780) 427-8921
12 June 2001
Honourable Lyle Oberg
Minister of Learning
227 Legislature Building
Edmonton, Alberta
T5K 2B6
Dear Dr. Oberg:
On behalf of the Private Colleges Accreditation Board, I have the honour of
providing you with the sixteenth Annual Report for the year ending March 2001.
DKK:kjs
Respectfully,
Dianne K. Kieren, PhD, CFLE, PHEc
Chair
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1. Introduction
The Private Colleges Accreditation Board (PCAB) was established in 1984by an amendment to Alberta's Universities Act. It is authorized to makerecommendations to the Minister of Learning with respect to baccalaureatedegrees, other than those in Divinity programs, which may be offered byAlberta private colleges. With the concurrence and support of the Ministerof Learning, authority to offer degrees may be granted by Order in Council.
The primary work of the Board is to receive and review applications fromprivate colleges for accreditation of baccalaureate programs, and toconduct periodic evaluations of accredited programs. The Board hasestablished conditions which must be satisfied by a college proposing tooffer a degree program so that each approved program meets acceptableacademic standards. These conditions include, in part: an appropriatecurriculum, a sufficient number of suitably qualified faculty members, anorganizational structure designed to support academic programs,appropriate library and learning resources, evidence of continuousimprovement, and sufficient financial resources available to support theprograms.
Six private colleges have been authorized to offer degree programs since1984. Augustana University College, Canadian University College,Concordia University College of Alberta and The King's University Collegeare authorized to offer three-year and four-year Bachelor of Arts andBachelor of Science programs. Canadian Nazarene University College(also known as Nazarene University College) may offer a three-yearBachelor of Arts only. Several of the private colleges have been authorizedto offer other degree programs: Canadian University College may offer afour-year Bachelor of Business Administration program; The King'sUniversity College may offer four-year Bachelor of Commerce and four-year Bachelor of Music degree programs; both Concordia and King's areauthorized to offer two-year Bachelor of Education (after degree) programsin elementary education; and Augustana may now offer a four-yearBachelor of Management in Business Economics program.
During the reporting year, authority to offer the following degrees wasaccorded to DeVry Institute of Technology-Calgary: Bachelor ofTechnology in Computer Information Systems, Bachelor of Technology inElectronics Engineering Technology, and Bachelor of Business Operations.
The private colleges with accredited degree programs are involved in thelarger post-secondary system in Alberta. Tables 1 and 2 in Addendum Aprovide data on the number of students transferring into the privatecolleges as well as the number of students from private collegestransferring to other post-secondary institutions.
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2. Membership of the Board
The Board consists of thirteen members appointed by the Minister ofLearning: a chair, four members of the public, four university academicstaff members nominated by the Universities Co-ordinating Council, andfour private college academic staff members nominated jointly by theirpresidents. In addition, the Minister designates an official from hisDepartment to attend meetings in a non-voting capacity. The part-timeservices of an executive officer, office manager and research officer areprovided to the Board by the Minister.
During the reporting period, the following individuals have served theBoard.
ChairDianne Kieren
Public MembersDennis KadatzDiane KoenigCatherine RyanJim Wachowich
University MembersShamsul AlamLynn BosettiAlan DavisTodd Rogers
Private College MembersKaren Bottom leyRobert BruinsmaHarry PrestRichard Willie
(from May 2000)
Alberta LearningJean Sprague
Executive OfficerMarilyn Patton
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3. Activities of the Board
Accreditation ProcessIn April 1998 the Board implemented a revised accreditation process forprivate colleges applying to offer undergraduate degree programs. Therequirement that a private college have a track record of affiliation with anAlberta university was eliminated and replaced by an organizationalevaluation.
The accreditation process includes an initial review by the AccreditationSubcommittee to determine if the application warrants a full review. Ifeverything is in order, the applicant undergoes an organizational evaluationand the Board hires a team of external experts to support the evaluation.The team uses the Board's tool, "Framework for OrganizationalEvaluation", to assess the college's ability to mount and sustain degreeprograms. The evaluation looks at the extent to which the college hascreated sustainable processes within the organization, the extent to whichits financial and operational resources are adequate to sustain the learningprocesses students will experience, and the link between students'experiences and demonstrable needs.
If the Board is satisfied with the organizational evaluation, a second teamof evaluators is chosen to review and assess the proposed degreeprogram(s). The Board also conducts an on-site visit to the college andmeets with college officials.
Based on the outcome of these evaluations, the Board decides whether ornot to recommend program approval to the Minister. The Minister mayrecommend that the Lieutenant Governor in Council issue an Order inCouncil authorizing the college to offer the accredited degree program.
The 1998 revisions to the accreditation process also included a move topartial self-financing of the Board by recovering the costs of evaluationsand assessing an annual continuing accreditation fee and an applicationfee. As well, the Board requires private colleges to have appropriatefinancial security for each accredited program before it can be offered.
During the reporting period, the Board began reviewing the accreditationprocess in order to assess what can be improved. (See Subcommitteesbelow.)
New ApplicantsThis accreditation process was designed to accommodate a broader rangeof institutional types and, potentially, a greater diversity of baccalaureateprograms. During 2000-2001, the Board continued to review applicationsfrom two first-time applicants and began review of a third.
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The following is a summary of activity related to first-time applicantinstitutions during 2000-2001:
# of first-time applicants being considered 3# of organizational evaluations completed 2# of programs reviewed 3*# of programs approved 3
(* Multiple programs may be considered for any one applicant.)
Orders in Council were signed in the reporting period for the followingPCAB-approved degree programs from first-time applicants:DeVry Institute of 4-year Bachelor of Technology inTechnology-Calgary Computer Information Systems
4-year Bachelor of Technology inElectronics Engineering Technology
4-year Bachelor of Business Operations
Consideration of Program ProposalsIn addition to proposals from first-time applicant institutions, during theyear, the Board continued to receive and review new program proposalsfrom colleges that already had authorization to offer specific degreeprograms.
Orders in Council were signed in the reporting period for the followingPCAB-approved degree programs:Augustana University College 4-year BA and BSc in Computing
Science4-year Bachelor of Management in
Business Economics4-year BSc in Environmental Science
The King's University College 4-year BA in Music4-year Bachelor of Commerce4-year Bachelor of Music4-year BSc in Chemistry4-year BSc in Biology
As well, two other programs were reviewed and recommendations made tothe Minister at the end of the reporting period.
Periodic ReviewsThe Universities Act requires that the Board establish procedures for theperiodic review of the operations of the private colleges offering accreditedprograms. Two procedures are employed for this purpose. One is thesubmission by the college of an Annual Report each November forconsideration by the Board. A second procedure is a comprehensiveevaluation which occurs after 5 years and 10 years of the time the collegewas awarded its first degree program.
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The comprehensive evaluation has four components: the college's Self-Study, the report of an external evaluation team, the response by thecollege to that report, and a visit to the college campus by the Board. TheBoard has completed first comprehensive evaluations of Augustana,Canadian, Concordia and King's. The following is the schedule for secondcomprehensive evaluations for these institutions: Augustana in 2001-2002,King's in 2002-2003, Concordia in 2003-2004 and Canadian in 2004-2005.The first comprehensive evaluations for Nazarene and DeVry-Calgary willtake place in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007, respectively.
The Board also asks the private colleges with accredited degree programsto submit an Annual Report to the Board each November. Each June theBoard reviews its reporting requirements to ensure the information beingrequested is useful and relevant. These reports are consolidated andexamined by the Board with a view to assuring that the quality of theprograms remains high. Also included in the consolidated document is acomparative table of basic indicators which is prepared by the Secretariat.(See Table 3, Addendum A.) The 1999-2000 Annual Reports wereconsidered at the December meeting of the Board. Enrolment andgraduate statistics drawn from the reports of the colleges are included inthis Annual Report as Tables 4 and 5 in Addendum A.
4. Accreditation Handbook
The Accreditation Handbook documents the Board policies and proceduresfor dealing with proposals from private colleges seeking to offer accreditedundergraduate degree programs.
In preparation for the Board's second round of comprehensive evaluations,members amended Article 17.3.1(c) in the Handbook to include theexpectation that institutional self-studies must include feedback fromstudents and alumni and, where possible, feedback from institutions,employers and graduate programs. A similar paragraph was added inAppendix II. At the same time a new proposition on strategic planning wasadded to the self-study requirements. Institutions are now required tosubmit a strategic plan and describe how the institution's various planningactivities are linked and integrated.
When the Accreditation Handbook was revised in 1998, the chapter onappeals identified two types of appeals: a) appeals on decisions of theChair or anyone acting on behalf of the Board, and b) appeals on decisionsof the Board. On the latter type, the Handbook simply indicated thatdecisions of the Board may be appealed to the Minister within 30 days ofthe college's receipt of the decision being appealed. Since that time theMinister's appeal process was established and members decided todescribe this process in the Handbook following Article 6.2.
At its February 2001 meeting, members adopted changes to the ProgramProposal Guidelines contained in Appendix IV. The amendments areexpected to help both the applicant institution and the Board.
5
5. Board Assessment
During the previous reporting year, the Board had conducted anassessment of its work by sending questionnaires to private colleges withaccredited degree programs and to new applicants. Members alsocompleted questionnaires. A consultant, Dr. Maria Mayan, then compliedthe results which were presented to the Board at its February 2000meeting. On the whole, the results were very positive. At the first meetingof the new year, members discussed the outcomes and proposed actionplans and incorporated them in the 2000-2005 edition of the Board'sManagement Plan. Members decided to conduct an assessment of itswork every 3 years.
On completion of the Board assessment, it had been recommended that aretreat be scheduled to provide concentrated time to explore specificissues of interest to the Board's work. The retreat, which took place inOctober, included a presentation on governance of for-profit organizations.Members also discussed other issues such as degree types and theirnomenclature.
6. Board Subcommittees
In addition to the Board's Accreditation Subcommittee, throughout thereporting year a number of ad-hoc subcommittees met. One subcommitteereviewed the process and guidelines with respect to comprehensiveevaluations in preparation for the evaluations of Augustana, Canadian,Concordia and King's. Another subcommittee deliberated on the Board'sannual reporting requirements. The subcommitees' recommendationswere considered at the June 2000 meeting. Two other subcommitteesbegan deliberations by the end of the reporting period: one subcommitteeis reviewing the accreditation process to determine where it might be fine-tuned, and the other is reviewing possible guidelines (templates) for non-Arts and Science degree programs. Both subcommittees are expected tocontinue working in the next reporting year.
7. PCAB's Web Site
As a means of communicating with its stakeholders and members of thepublic, the Board has developed its presence on the Internet. In addition toproviding information about the Board and a list of the programs it hasaccredited, the site includes the following:
the Accreditation Handbook, Annual Report and Management Plan, inportable document format (pdf),
a Checklist and Financial Table for new applicant private colleges,
6 9
8. Administration
a "What's New" page which flags changes to the Handbook and anynew initiatives and directions,
links to the Web sites of each private college with accredited degreeprograms.
The address of the Board's Web site is:http://www.pcab.gov.ab.ca
The Secretariat assists the Chair and the Board in their activities byproviding advice on matters of policy, organizing meetings, helping to setmeeting agendas, and preparing publications. It also provides informationin response to inquiries from various agencies, prospective applicants andmembers of the public about matters related to private colleges andaccreditation. To facilitate their work, the Board's Executive Officer servesas an advisory member on all external evaluation teams.
During the Board's assessment process, understaffing of the Secretariatwas identified as an issue. A plan to move to more appropriate staffinglevels was presented to Alberta Learning and received favourableresponse. During the next reporting period it is expected that action will betaken.
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Addendum ATable 1Students Transferring to Alberta Private University CollegesFall 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
RECEIVING INSTITUTIONAugustana Canadian Concordia The King's
SENDING University University University UniversityINSTITUTION College College College College TOTAL
NOTE: In 2000, a total of 8,745 students who had previously attended an Alberta post-secondary institution transferredto another post-secondary institution in Alberta's transfer system. A further 4,151 students who had prior post-secondary experience from outside Albertatransferred to post-secondary institutions in Alberta.
Source: Reports from institutions as requested by the Alberta Council on Admissions and. Transfer.
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Table 2Students Transferring from Alberta Private University CollegesFa ll 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
SENDINGINSTITUTION
RECEIVING INSTITUTIONPublic Technical Private
Universities Colleges Institutes Colleges Other TOTAL
Augustana provided corrected data for their FLE for the previous reporting period. Therefore, except for Number of periodical titles per FLEstudent, Direct circulation per FLE student, and Volumes of print materials per FLE student, all calculations using FLE have been revised forAugustana's 1998-99 data.
General Operating Expenditures includes High School expenses.
13 16
Table 41999-2000 Student FLE Enrolments at AlbertaPrivate Colleges with Accredited Programs'
AugustanaUniversity College
3-YearPCAB2 - Approved Concen- 4-YearDegree Programs tration Major
Totals by Institution 749.32 338.78 1,041.05 431.40
2
No entry means that the College is not authorized to offer the program. An entry of 0 means there were no enrolments in the accreditedprogram.
Private Colleges Accreditation Board
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Table 51999-2000 Degree Graduates at AlbertaPrivate Colleges with Accredited Programs
AugustanaUniversity College
Major/ PastConcentration Year
CanadianUniversity College
Major/ PastConcentration Year
ConcordiaUniversity College
Major/ PastConcentration Year
The King'sUniversity College
Major/ PastConcentration Year
BACHELOR OF ARTS (3-Year)
Adventure Based Counselling 1
Art 2 2
Biology 1 1
Business Admin 1 3 6 5
Canadian Studies 1
Chemistry 1
Chemistry/lnterdis Stds 1
Drama 6 5
Economics 2 4
Economics/Philosophy 1
Economics/Pol Stds 1
English 8 8 3 1 16 16 4 8
English/Drama 1
English/Philosophy 1
English/Rel Stds 1
French 2 5 1
French/Drama/Philosophy 1
French/Psychology 1
General Studies 5 1
History 4 2 6 16 10 5 8
History/Sociology 1
Interdisciplinary Stds 3 3
Mathematics 1
Music 9 5 2 7 4 10 5
Music/English 1
Music/Rel Stds 1 1
Outward Pursuits 2 2
Philosophy 3 2 4 1 3 4
Philosophy/Interdis Stds 1
Physical Education 11 14
1619
Table 5 continued...
AugustanaUniversity College
Major/ PastConcentration Year
CanadianUniversity College
Major/ PastConcentration Year
ConcordiaUniversity College
Major/ PastConcentration Year
The King'sUniversity College
Major/ PastConcentration Year
Phys Ed/History 1 2
Phys Ed/Sociology 1
Political Economy 3 1
Political Studies 5
Political Stds/History 1
Political Stds/lnterdis Stds 1 1
Psychology 9 8 3 3 31 31 15 10
Psychology/English 1 1
Psych/Interdis Stds 1
Psychology/Religious Stds 1
Religious Studies 1 1 2 10 10
Rel Stds/lnterdis Stds 1
Social Science 14 12
Sociology 6 27 19 3 4
Sociology/Psychology 2
BACHELOR OF ARTS (4-Year)
Behavioral Science 1
Economics 4 2
English 4 7 2 1 2
Environmental Studies 1 6
History 4 1
Mod Lang/Phys Ed 1
Music 5 7 1
Physical Education 10 3
Psychology 10 9 18 10 8 7
Psychology/Sociology 1
Religious Studies 1 6 6 1 1
Sociology 2 3
TOTAL ARTS 121 98 31 20 147 108 70 70
') 017
Table 5 continued...
AugustanaUniversity College
Major/ PastConcentration Year
CanadianUniversity College
Major/ PastConcentration Year
ConcordiaUniversity College
Major/ PastConcentration Year
The King'sUniversity College
Major/ PastConcentration Year
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (3-Year)
Biology 5 6 2 2 6 20 9 8
Biology /Interdis Stds 1
Biology/Phys Ed 1
Chemistry 3 2 8 2 4 7
Chemistry/Biology/Art 1
Computing Science 7
Comp Sc/Economics 1
Comp Sc/Math 1 1
Environmental Science 6 8
General Studies 1
Interdisciplinary Studies 1 4
Mathematics 1 1 3 8
Mathematics/Chemistry 1
Physics/Math 1 2
Physics/Math/Comp Sci 2
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (4-Year)
Biology 13 6 5 6
Chemistry 1
Environmental Studies 8 5
Psychology 2 1
TOTAL SCIENCE 37 26 7 9 25 38 21 20
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMIN(4-Year)
Business Admin 2 3
BACHELOR OF EDUCATION (2-Year)
Elementary 59 53 16 21
Institution Totals 1998-99 124 32 199 111
Institution Totals 1999-2000 158 40 231 107
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Addendum BPublications of the Accreditation Board
Accreditation Handbook, Fourth Edition, February 1998
The Handbook documents the basic policies and procedures of the Boardfor dealing with proposals from private colleges seeking authority to grantdegrees. A number of revisions have been incorporated in the documentsince its publication in 1998.
A Guide for Teams Conducting Comprehensive Evaluations ofAccredited Programs, revised following October 1994 review
The guide provides information for external evaluation teams with respectto their role and responsibility when evaluating accredited programs withinthe framework of the comprehensive evaluation process.
A Guide for Teams Conducting Evaluations of Proposed Programs
The guide provides information for external evaluation teams with respectto their role and responsibility when evaluating proposed programs. It isreviewed before each program evaluation and updated as needed.
A Guide for Teams Conducting Organizational Evaluations
The guide provides information for external evaluation teams with respectto their role and responsibility when conducting organizational evaluationsof first-time applicants. The "Framework for Organizational Evaluations" isincluded. The guide is reviewed before each organizational evaluation andupdated as needed.
Instructions and Sample Forms for Annual Reports to the PrivateColleges Accreditation Board of the Private Colleges with AccreditedPrograms, Twelfth Edition, June 2000
The Board requires that private colleges submit an annual report to theBoard each November. This document provides instructions with respect tothe format and content of this annual reporting. Each year the instructionsare reviewed and amended as needed.
Management Plan, 2000-2005, June 2000
The Plan lists the known activities of the Board during a five-year span.
The Board reports annually to the Minister of Learning.
A number of these publications can be downloaded from the AccreditationBoard's Web site at <http//www.pcab.gov.ab.ca>.
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